Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-12-06
IN COLONIAL TIME
Two systems OF white Slavery Que RE
yailing In This Country.

1
| yailing In This Country.
MANY persons. who consider them
selves familiar with the history of this
country are not aware that in the last
century white men. women ana chii-
dren were held in bondage; that the
| colonial laws in favor OF such servitude
were AZ explicit and severe as were
those in support of negro slavery. Sucp
white persons owing personal service
to individual masters were generally
| known as term slaves" though their
legal status was represented by the
word "redemptioner.
Isaac Weld, Jr., in his book of travels
in America, published in the last
century, asserts that it was the custom
of shipmasters at Rotterdam and the
Hanse towns to inveigle the people on
| to their vess Is. under promise OF free
passage to America. On reaching the
colonies announcement of the arrival
of mechanics and laborers would be
made, and persons in want of such
would flock to the ships, and the poor
| Germans would be sold to the highest
bidder, the captains pocketing the pro-
ceeds.
Redemptioners constituted in the
early part of the eighteenth century
peculiar feature of colonial anxiety.
They were recruited from among all
manner Of people in the old world, and
through this channel Europe emptied
upon America not only the virtuots
poor and oppressed of her population,
| but the warrants, fclons and the dregs
of her communities. There was thus
established among the first settlers
society that, in many places, was al
most imbued with IL moral pcstilencc.
Among the redemptoners, however,
| were fair proportion of sturdy souls,
strong in purpose and endeavor, who
appreciated the great opportunity Gre
ated for them by this complete change
of life and country. At the expiration
of their term of service many, by thrift
and industry, elevated themselves to
respectable positions, AMI We're alb
sorbed in the middle class.
There We're two kinds of redcmp-
TONERS ''indentcd servants" who
| had bound themselves to their masters
for term previous to leaving the old
country. and "iree-wllers. who,
being without money and DESTROYS of
emigrating, agreed with the captains
| of ships to allow themselves or their
families to be sold on arrival for the
captains advantage, and thus repay
| costs of passage aud other expenses
| The former-ind nted servants were
often trapped into their engagements
| by corrupt agents mt home who per-
suaded them all under false promises
of tender and humane treatment. and
assurances of remuneratve employ
ment at expiration of service, which
would insure IL competent provision
for the remainder of their days The
emigrantS often discovered ON arrival
that the advantages to be oil tanned in
America had been painted by the
agents in much too alluring colors
Frequently their masters foI ced them
to most rigid labor and exercised an
unnecessary severity.
The frec-WiIlers suffered g, en- worse
treatment at the hands of sh;pmnsters
and agents They were led 20 believe
that on arrival in America their SER
vices would be ca erly so icited by
persons who would gladly pay the cost
Of their passages; which being only 80,
the emigrants would soon he able tc
repay. and thus secure their libert,
al tba
that the new country atfordnd to adj
venturers. Agreements were entered
into whereby these deluded ones bound
themselves that if, on arrival, they did
not succeed within certain number OF
days III securing employment on theil
own terms, they could be sold for
term Of We us to defray the charges
for their passages, Alas. the free.
wli!orS, with rare exceptions, had
rude awakening on reaching the col
onics, Under their agrecm ants the
captains had legal lien on the per-
sons of the enligrants until the SHIN
charges were paid; consequently they
were not allowed to 90 ON shore, but
were exposed to view on deck Ia the pco-
pie who came on board in search of ser
wants. Except in cases of extraordin-
airy qualifications, very few of them
were happy enough to make their own
stipulnlions, and they found themselves
sold for several years of tedious labor
and servitude.
The terms and conditions of service
differed in the different colonies
Among the archives of the Pannsvlvn-
mia IL Storical Society are some origi-
nal bonds, or agreements. be ween
snip captains and relemptioners.
From them we learn that the usual
price paid in that colony for three
Years service was Cpl Is. and Cd.
When his time had expired man was
entitled to receive two suits of clothes
grnbbng hoe, n wedding hoe, and
new axe. Children sold for from fs TO
tlO, and their masters were REQUIRED
to see that they were taught to read
ana write, and had at least one quar-. |
ter's schooling ~ Y Star.